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Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Whoo Hoo Learning can be fun!

Mornin' Ya'll,

Well it has been a while but I had a great time with my son and daughter in law and the grand kids have grown a ton. Taylor is almost as tall as me and I am about 5ft 2" and Thomas is a moose for a four year old. He is as cute as can be too! This one is going to be a long one y'all so make sure you have a big cup of coffee and a comfy chair.

I'll start with how I got the idea. I was sitting her gluing together a shoe for the church's school and looked up at my wall. On the wall is a peg board with all my goodies.. (ya know If I don't see it I forget I have it) so I looked up and saw the keys that I bought from Graphic 45. Now often for me God speaks to my heart with music because I listen a little better I guess. Anyhoo I hear the song in my head "I've got a brand new pair of roller skates you've got a brand new key"... and I get it. ROLLER SKATES!!!! He wants me to make roller skates, and I don't mind telling you I said out loud oh that is good lord. I also thought to myself DUH!!!!! then my brain went to you could make Ice skates, hockey skates and in the back of my mind I seem to remember someone wanted those a few years ago. So that is how I came up with the idea. A conversation with my hubby where he tells me he only skate boarded when he was a kid. So then my mind shoots in all different directions all while he is fixing breakfast. My hubby chuckles and says stop for now and eat. So I did.
I got the skates together fairly quick but it really bugged me that they didn't look just like they should so instead of posting something that was as my son would say" Eh"? I decided to really get busy and work on these. As always I will post the kits I used and try to post the supplies as well for ya. Are ya ready? Ya better go get another cup of coffee and maybe hit the restroom before you continue..

Start with the high top that Mary made from Back to the Books. Make the shoe just as Mary describes in her video. Love that she does that as sometimes I would just be lost. (my first one wasn't up to snuff)
The Axle under the shoe is actually the top of the small coffin box from Elmhurst Hallow. I added 1/4 in holes to the side pieces at the top of the coffin, and the lower pieces. I also had to add a 1/4 circle to the small flap to the right top portion so the flap wouldn't show through and the dowel would fit. I have learned to have dowels on hand and if your like me you don't throw away small pieces as you might be able to use them some time. In this case I cut two dowels 5 1/2 inches long then used a marker to color them but you could use paint as well.

I made four circles .37 W and another circle to the middle at .25 W around to fit my dowel. You'll need to make it according to the size dowel your using. Glue the top piece together and then put your dowels through the holes and work it a little so as to make sure they move or turn. The wheels were made in my silhouette designer addition as I am more familiar with it to draw with but I am sure you could do this a well in another program. I took the lemon box from Frutiy Feasta and welded together the top and bottom side pieces then removed the extra score lines but remove the score lines from one first as you know me always the hard way. LOL. Make another circle and put a hole in the center for your dowel to go through this will be the inside of the wheel.

To make the wheel look indented that was tough but easy once I got what I wanted it to look. I made a circle 1.875in W. then I made another circle inside that 1.00 in W. then I made a lot of skinny triangles to fit all the way around that circle on the inside like Mary has done with some of her designs. Once I got all the triangles in place I made a compound path and subtracted I think make sure you turn that circle into score lines just above your triangles. That gave me the bent in look that I wanted but they weren't pushed in all the way then make a smaller circle to fit on top W 0.75 . The dowel is actually attached to the smaller circle. I found it easier to use hot glue to attach the circle and to add a tiny bit to the triangles to help hold it all together. Then I used the 14 Epiphany crafts circle tool and some cool glittery foil paper I got from Michaels for the middle. The toe piece has been a pain for me as I wanted a look of the toe stoppers and honestly I have tired and tried but when Mary came out with the ear piece for the telephone in the Call me Later Kit I saw the shape I had be trying so hard to create. It would only need a bit of tweaking for me to have it be just right. So I first made it much smaller. My finished piece is 4.125 W . I took out the circle for the listening part then looked at the back which would fit the handle for the phone. I drew three rectangles and adjusted the nodes on it to fit the piece that was missing. I did that by putting them over the piece next to it. Mary has often referred to her designs as putting together a puzzle, that is just what it is like to me. When I put together a puzzle I can see what the shape is that is missing and that is what I look for. In this case I did the same only I made the piece I needed, using shapes putting them together welding it then making a compound path then add some score lines. Make sure you go back and delete nodes you maybe don't need. If you magnify the piece your working on you can see where your machine won't make a straight cut. Deleting the extra node makes the path smooth. I glued it together like Mary said to then hot glued it to the bottom of the shoe and Viola it is just what I was looking for. I thanked God first and prayed a blessing on Mary for making that wonderful piece. ( I was going to be bald in a few days from pulling my hair out.)

The skate key is the first paper design I have ever designed myself from scratch as they say. I looked at a picture of one online and made a series of circles ovals and rectangles to make it. Then I added score lines where I wanted the paper to bend and after only three tries I had the shape. I made it then edited the nodes (made some curvy lines took out extra nodes) I was happy, happy, happy! My first ever design. I proudly showed it to my hubby who said OK in a very non impressed tone. Yep that is my hubby, he has no idea how hard that was for me to design or get the nerve to do but I am learning all over again to have more confidence in myself and my abilities.
Note: I guess it wasn't the first piece as I did make the center of the wheel ah yeah.. Duh again.
When I first started making designs Mary made three years ago to think I would ever want or make my own designs was way out there. No of course I couldn't do that. Well Mary is an AWESOME teacher. She has no idea what affect she has had on me but I am EVER so GRATEFUL! I learn from her designs. I learn to appreciate how she comes up with these. I have also learned that being afraid of the computer is silly. I don't have to be. I don't have a high school diploma and I don't have a lot of college, just a few classes I took because I wanted to know how to use my computer better. That was my start and Mary has brought so much into this chapter in my life. Thank you Mary for the Blessing you are to me and to those around you.

Deb of Deb's Crafty side said once I should take pictures of the process of my creations. I tried to do that with this design. It was a rough road for me with the toe stopper but I didn't give up and I am glad. I hope you all enjoy this design and be grateful for the time and energy and thought that goes into each design Mary makes. It does take a lot. Leo even goes so far as to do a video showing us how to put it together. They are perfectly matched and I wish them a long and happy life together. Thank you so very much for reading this "book" and have a super fantastic Crafty day! Happy Crafting Y'all! Blessings Sharalyn

6 comments:

You tell her I said GO FOR IT!!!! She can do anything she sets her mind to doing. :) that is what my mom told me and she was right! just wish I hadn't taken so long to listen to her.. I can't wait to see it!